They’re avoiding him, and theres no reason to try anything that gives him a chance since they can just gash us up the gut.
Sawyer sack was him sprinting away from TJ, so he’s still making an impact even when he’s consistently doubled and tripled sometimes.
Edit: the real thing we should be concerned about is that Benton is clearly more hurt than we are letting on. He has that pad on his elbow and was “roughed up” near the end of the preseason. Might be a Kirk situation from last year.
I mean not really. What I’m more worried about is how our other edges and dline can’t get to the qb when teams are sending 2-3 people basically every play to stop TJ. Also his effect on the run game is unreal. When teams only run away from you that says something
Looking purely at sacks doesn’t tell the story.
Look at how many pressures and TFL he’s had over that period.
Dude is double or triple teamed every single play. One of the other pass rushers needs to step the fuck up and make a play once in a while. It’s not illegal to blitz an inside backer either.
The issue is he does not move around. Garrett and Micah are still highly effective. Garrett never has a lead and still wrecks the game.
Its hard to get sacks when they just run the ball 30 times to the left, away from TJ, and then throw a quick slant that beats the defense every time.
Teams have learned to game script away from him and force the other 10 to beat them. So far through 2 weeks, and the last 7 overall, the rest of the defense still cant stop a team, even when they are limited to half the field
TJ Watt is not the problem. Just watch the game, and stop looking at stats. He gets double or even TRIPLE teamed consistently. Teams run whatever side he’s not on because he’s so good at stopping the run. Having that effect alone makes up for the lack of sacks. The obligation is on the REST of the defense to make plays since he gets so much attention. They have not been picking up the slack, so teams get to remove him from the game and not pay a price for it.
This is only a problem if your stat chasing. Teams are just running away from him at this point. Because nobody else in the defensive line is threatening in any way right now
Why give TJ an opportunity? When nobody else there is relevant?
I want to be clear, I do actually think he has lost a step. But not this much of one. The problem is everybody else isn’t playing well. Especially on the interior
People will say teams just avoid him … *well that’s a pretty big issue*. If your defense is so centered around a single elite playmaker that can be easily avoided then your defense probably sucks.
TJ has obviously lost a step from his prime 2-3 years ago, but he’s still a top 10 defensive talent in the league. A defensively-minded coach and team should be able to make better use of his talents.
This is on Highsmith in my opinion. He’s just not breaking down the other side like Dupree used. I miss the days of Watt and Bud almost meeting each other at the QB, and rightfully looking like they wanted to kiss each other
I know Tj says he plays better when he’s left on that left side exclusively; but it’s making it SO easy for offenses to scheme him out of plays…this is where we need COACHING to come in and move him around and scheme better
Its a team sport. Team production is the only measure that matters, does the team perform better when he is in? is the only question you need to answer. How many triple teams do the other players get when they are out on the field?
If you go back and watch the games, 95% of the time they’re avoiding TJ or at the minimum, double teaming him.
Someone else needs to step up. Love Cam but he’s just aged. Young DL is what’s needed and a good D coordinator that likes to blitz. I miss the old days.
This post makes me believe that half of the people that talk on this sub have no knowledge of football. What so ever
Teams don’t run his way and double or even triple team him on pass plays. Even so, it’s pretty ridiculous to say he’s having no impact on games if you’re actually watching.
What’s really bad is that they are double and triple teaming watt and no one else can get home, which says a lot more about the rest of the front seven
TIL TJ Watt is the first pass rusher to ever get double and triple teamed and that’s why he isn’t getting sacks.
Queen has got to step up.
Sorry, I’m going to be that guy for a minute. A lot of the Steelers fanbase shit on PFF for consistently ranking Garrett ahead of TJ, despite TJ putting up actual stats. Now that TJ is in this position, the narrative has shifted.
The truth has always been somewhere in the middle.
It sucks ass TJ isn’t getting the numbers but at the same time he’s getting double and triple teamed every play. The much MORE concerning thing is that offenses are putting 2-3 blockers on TJ yet still none of our other pass rushers can get to the QB. Wtf is that all about
Watt isn’t washed he’s getting doubled and tripled teamed every game. The man isn’t getting any help.
So all the offense needs to do is focuses most their resources on Watt with double and triple teams because the others on defense can’t beat their 1v1s (which should be easier if watt is taking 2-3 blockers). As a result yes he’s going to have less sacks and even hits.
Serious question: what exactly do people expect this man to do? If you look at the trends of plays called it’s either a run to the opposite side of the field as him, a run to his side which he effectively shuts down a large % of the time or a pass that they use 2/3 guys to hold him up long enough to get the pass off. Smart offensive coordinators avoid plays that allow game wreckers to wreck games. It’s like saying revis was shit because he wasn’t getting picks when they didn’t throw him the ball. To be successful the rest of the defense needs to ensure they are doing their job: being gap sound to stop allowing gashing runs to the left, beating your man in 1 on 1 hand fighting to disengage a block to get positional advantage, perhaps lock up pass coverage a bit tighter so they can’t just throw 2 second crossers and allow him to beat his man around the arch. He definitely should be producing more but placing the blame on him when the game tape shows what’s happening is maddening to me
When teams started avoiding Myles Garrett like this, the league rewarded him with DPOY despite lesser stats.
Half of this sub seems ready to release TJ…
They do move him around, but when the middle and the other side are injured and weak, they’re just going to audible. They have eyes.. it’s not like they’re surprised or locked in and can’t run the other way when Watt is on the other side.
It’s only a problem because everything else looks so bad. If him defending that much of the field on his own was leading to other guys feasting we’d be talking about how teams are so afraid of TJ that they are killing their chances. As is it’s a bad effing look on the surface because the rest of the defense has been so bad. Shut down corners get gold jackets because their WRs get targeted so little.
So far he is being taken out of the game with offensive scheme. They are getting rid of the ball before he can get there. The DB’s playing 9 yards off the ball doesn’t help. They are doubling and triple teaming him. Why is no one else getting there is the question. Moving him around and stunts have not worked as no one else is getting pressure and the DB’s are playing 9 yards off the ball. The Seahawks were running 2 man pass routes at times and keeping 8 in to block. This is less about TJ and more about what the heck the 10 others are doing! Where are the ILBs’???
Saying it’s as bad as it looks would imply people with this opinion are watching our games. If they were, they’d clearly see that TJ is not the problem.
If they’re watching and haven’t reached that conclusion, then their opinion isn’t based in reality and can be safely disregarded.
Notice how all but one of these rushes go from right to left
Yeah a sack would be nice sure but thats not only way an EDGE impacts the game. Im not arguing whether or not he’s underperformed or declined because I simply dont know but the # of sacks alone cant be the sole determination of that.
TJ isn’t rushing as hard. That much is pretty evident if you compare him now to him a few years ago, but he is also drawing a lot of attention, which means that the rest of the passrushers clearly aren’t doing much to compensate.
honestly seems to me like the biggest problem is that teams seem to be able to double-/triple-team him nonstop and *still* are able to gash the D effectively. you would think that the rest of a defense would be at an advantage if one guy is drawing as much attention as TJ is getting… but so far our defense isn’t taking of advantage of it at all. this seems like a personnel problem more than anything. and certainly there are some scheme issues. i really want to see what changes when harmon finally plays.
ETA: one other thing… i see a lot of people saying TJ has “lost a step” and i honestly am not seeing that. what i am seeing, and i hate to say it because i love the guy, is that cam appears to have definitively lost a step. he seems to be the guy the opponents are actually aiming at with their run game. hopefully some of that is rust from the offseason weirdness. but i dunno. it may just be normal decline.
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They’re avoiding him, and theres no reason to try anything that gives him a chance since they can just gash us up the gut.
Sawyer sack was him sprinting away from TJ, so he’s still making an impact even when he’s consistently doubled and tripled sometimes.
Edit: the real thing we should be concerned about is that Benton is clearly more hurt than we are letting on. He has that pad on his elbow and was “roughed up” near the end of the preseason. Might be a Kirk situation from last year.
I mean not really. What I’m more worried about is how our other edges and dline can’t get to the qb when teams are sending 2-3 people basically every play to stop TJ. Also his effect on the run game is unreal. When teams only run away from you that says something
Looking purely at sacks doesn’t tell the story.
Look at how many pressures and TFL he’s had over that period.
Dude is double or triple teamed every single play. One of the other pass rushers needs to step the fuck up and make a play once in a while. It’s not illegal to blitz an inside backer either.
https://preview.redd.it/rgmux0s40rpf1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2150d53c4369448b4ad78d2930d44d90e5eef17
The issue is he does not move around. Garrett and Micah are still highly effective. Garrett never has a lead and still wrecks the game.
Its hard to get sacks when they just run the ball 30 times to the left, away from TJ, and then throw a quick slant that beats the defense every time.
Teams have learned to game script away from him and force the other 10 to beat them. So far through 2 weeks, and the last 7 overall, the rest of the defense still cant stop a team, even when they are limited to half the field
TJ Watt is not the problem. Just watch the game, and stop looking at stats. He gets double or even TRIPLE teamed consistently. Teams run whatever side he’s not on because he’s so good at stopping the run. Having that effect alone makes up for the lack of sacks. The obligation is on the REST of the defense to make plays since he gets so much attention. They have not been picking up the slack, so teams get to remove him from the game and not pay a price for it.
This is only a problem if your stat chasing. Teams are just running away from him at this point. Because nobody else in the defensive line is threatening in any way right now
Why give TJ an opportunity? When nobody else there is relevant?
I want to be clear, I do actually think he has lost a step. But not this much of one. The problem is everybody else isn’t playing well. Especially on the interior
People will say teams just avoid him … *well that’s a pretty big issue*. If your defense is so centered around a single elite playmaker that can be easily avoided then your defense probably sucks.
TJ has obviously lost a step from his prime 2-3 years ago, but he’s still a top 10 defensive talent in the league. A defensively-minded coach and team should be able to make better use of his talents.
This is on Highsmith in my opinion. He’s just not breaking down the other side like Dupree used. I miss the days of Watt and Bud almost meeting each other at the QB, and rightfully looking like they wanted to kiss each other
I know Tj says he plays better when he’s left on that left side exclusively; but it’s making it SO easy for offenses to scheme him out of plays…this is where we need COACHING to come in and move him around and scheme better
Its a team sport. Team production is the only measure that matters, does the team perform better when he is in? is the only question you need to answer. How many triple teams do the other players get when they are out on the field?
If you go back and watch the games, 95% of the time they’re avoiding TJ or at the minimum, double teaming him.
Someone else needs to step up. Love Cam but he’s just aged. Young DL is what’s needed and a good D coordinator that likes to blitz. I miss the old days.
This post makes me believe that half of the people that talk on this sub have no knowledge of football. What so ever
Teams don’t run his way and double or even triple team him on pass plays. Even so, it’s pretty ridiculous to say he’s having no impact on games if you’re actually watching.
What’s really bad is that they are double and triple teaming watt and no one else can get home, which says a lot more about the rest of the front seven
TIL TJ Watt is the first pass rusher to ever get double and triple teamed and that’s why he isn’t getting sacks.
Queen has got to step up.
Sorry, I’m going to be that guy for a minute. A lot of the Steelers fanbase shit on PFF for consistently ranking Garrett ahead of TJ, despite TJ putting up actual stats. Now that TJ is in this position, the narrative has shifted.
The truth has always been somewhere in the middle.
It sucks ass TJ isn’t getting the numbers but at the same time he’s getting double and triple teamed every play. The much MORE concerning thing is that offenses are putting 2-3 blockers on TJ yet still none of our other pass rushers can get to the QB. Wtf is that all about
Watt isn’t washed he’s getting doubled and tripled teamed every game. The man isn’t getting any help.
So all the offense needs to do is focuses most their resources on Watt with double and triple teams because the others on defense can’t beat their 1v1s (which should be easier if watt is taking 2-3 blockers). As a result yes he’s going to have less sacks and even hits.
Serious question: what exactly do people expect this man to do? If you look at the trends of plays called it’s either a run to the opposite side of the field as him, a run to his side which he effectively shuts down a large % of the time or a pass that they use 2/3 guys to hold him up long enough to get the pass off. Smart offensive coordinators avoid plays that allow game wreckers to wreck games. It’s like saying revis was shit because he wasn’t getting picks when they didn’t throw him the ball. To be successful the rest of the defense needs to ensure they are doing their job: being gap sound to stop allowing gashing runs to the left, beating your man in 1 on 1 hand fighting to disengage a block to get positional advantage, perhaps lock up pass coverage a bit tighter so they can’t just throw 2 second crossers and allow him to beat his man around the arch. He definitely should be producing more but placing the blame on him when the game tape shows what’s happening is maddening to me
When teams started avoiding Myles Garrett like this, the league rewarded him with DPOY despite lesser stats.
Half of this sub seems ready to release TJ…
They do move him around, but when the middle and the other side are injured and weak, they’re just going to audible. They have eyes.. it’s not like they’re surprised or locked in and can’t run the other way when Watt is on the other side.
It’s only a problem because everything else looks so bad. If him defending that much of the field on his own was leading to other guys feasting we’d be talking about how teams are so afraid of TJ that they are killing their chances. As is it’s a bad effing look on the surface because the rest of the defense has been so bad. Shut down corners get gold jackets because their WRs get targeted so little.
So far he is being taken out of the game with offensive scheme. They are getting rid of the ball before he can get there. The DB’s playing 9 yards off the ball doesn’t help. They are doubling and triple teaming him. Why is no one else getting there is the question. Moving him around and stunts have not worked as no one else is getting pressure and the DB’s are playing 9 yards off the ball. The Seahawks were running 2 man pass routes at times and keeping 8 in to block. This is less about TJ and more about what the heck the 10 others are doing! Where are the ILBs’???
Saying it’s as bad as it looks would imply people with this opinion are watching our games. If they were, they’d clearly see that TJ is not the problem.
If they’re watching and haven’t reached that conclusion, then their opinion isn’t based in reality and can be safely disregarded.
https://preview.redd.it/am0yqspfjrpf1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5522558b26a74de368631d01b5fcc450b44f7916
Notice how all but one of these rushes go from right to left
Yeah a sack would be nice sure but thats not only way an EDGE impacts the game. Im not arguing whether or not he’s underperformed or declined because I simply dont know but the # of sacks alone cant be the sole determination of that.
TJ isn’t rushing as hard. That much is pretty evident if you compare him now to him a few years ago, but he is also drawing a lot of attention, which means that the rest of the passrushers clearly aren’t doing much to compensate.
honestly seems to me like the biggest problem is that teams seem to be able to double-/triple-team him nonstop and *still* are able to gash the D effectively. you would think that the rest of a defense would be at an advantage if one guy is drawing as much attention as TJ is getting… but so far our defense isn’t taking of advantage of it at all. this seems like a personnel problem more than anything. and certainly there are some scheme issues. i really want to see what changes when harmon finally plays.
ETA: one other thing… i see a lot of people saying TJ has “lost a step” and i honestly am not seeing that. what i am seeing, and i hate to say it because i love the guy, is that cam appears to have definitively lost a step. he seems to be the guy the opponents are actually aiming at with their run game. hopefully some of that is rust from the offseason weirdness. but i dunno. it may just be normal decline.